Women’s roles and the treatment of women in Athens during the period from 500-400 BC as compared to women’s roles and treatment of women in Sparta during the period from 500-400 BC

General Instructions: Each student will choose a topic of interest within the time frame of our course upon which to write a case study. Using information from the lectures and the textbook is acceptable, but at least two additional references must be used as supportive evidence. One of these additional sources must be a book, other than your textbook, that you find in the library, and check out, and read. The other additional source can be a web resource such as Wikipedia or an online Encyclopedia. You may not use “ask.com” or yahoo answers or help me find a quick last minute answer.com or any such web “resource.” Some youtube videos are acceptable, check with me via email by sending me the video link. Remember: Please limit yourself to one of these topics. No other topics may be written about. 1. Women’s roles and the treatment of women in Athens during the period from 500-400 BC as compared to women’s roles and treatment of women in Sparta during the period from 500-400 BC. Focus on questions of equality, justice, suffering, duties, and legal rights. 2. The Buddhist, or Christian, or Islamic teachings, doctrines, and reasons for how and when killing people, taking their life, and thereby making them dead, is acceptable. Final drafts should conform to MLA standards, be at least 1,000 words in length and will be in 12-point Times New Roman or Times font. Do not use any other type of font. How to Write a Case Study for this Humanities Course, focusing on Ethical Issues. The purpose of a case study is to walk the reader through a situation where a problem is presented, background information provided and a description of various possible solutions given, along with how it was derived. A case study can be written to encourage the reader to come up with his or her own analysis and response to an ethical issue or problem in the arts and culture. One of your goals as a writer should be to give the reader a way to experience what you discovered as you researched the situation. That is, what did you become more and more aware of? Research Phase: Several steps must be taken before writing anything. A. Choose the ethical issue from the list provided B. Gather as much information as possible about the historical and cultural situation. C. Analyze all of the elements surrounding the ethical issue The Required Structure of Your Paper. Your paper must address all of the four numbered sections below. 1. Describe the situation/problem The reader needs to have a clear understanding of the ethical issue. The reader must become aware of what the issue is, who was involved, and why it was an “ethical” problem – that is, a problem that has a distinct moral dimension. You can begin with a direct answer to each of these questions or you can begin by sharing quotes from people who have already studied and written about the situation. Or you can present a question: “Why would anyone do X” or “How is it possible for a culture to have such great art and yet such sexism, or racism, etc? But do try to be specific. Don’t just “lob” a general judgement around – these were bad people – these were good people – “back in the day things were just like this or that” (who would care to be informed of such a lame generality? You also cannot ONLY say “these were products of their time, or environment, etc.” So what? Statements like this are too general, and they are usually circular; “bad people did bad things because they were bad people who were taught to do bad things . . . by other people who did bad things, because it is what it is and it was what it was back in the day, when things were bad, because there were bad people, etc.” Don’t waste paper on thoughtless gibberish like this. One way to be specific is to discuss and describe specific laws, value systems, codes of conduct, works of art, works of literature; even a building. This section sets the tone for the reader to think of the problem while he or she reads the rest of the case study. This also sets the expectation that you will be presenting information the reader can use to further understand the situation. 2. Historical Background Historical Background is the specific information you discover that describes the date or time period and some key features of the culture in which this ethical problem occurred. Did this culture have the same religious, moral, and legal codes as we do? If not, how did their ideas of morality differ? Did they have the same concept of equality and justice? If not, how did their ideas differ from ours? What about the personal belie fs and character of any specific individuals involved, such as a religious leader or a king, prince, or emperor, or a ruling class, or group? Were they simply products of a different culture, or were the flawed characters, corrupt classes or groups pursuing selfish interests, or ________? 3. Evaluation of the Ethical Issue In this section you give the reader information that they can use to come to their own conclusions. Provide information and evidence, facts, not opinions or feelings. Look at the issue from several different angles. Use quotes from your sources to show how scholars have “judged” the ethical issue you are investigating. 4. Summary and Conclusions A good case study doesn’t tell the readers what to think. It guides the reader through the thought process used to come to conclusions. The readers may come to their own conclusions or find fault in the logic being presented. That’s okay, because there may be more than one solution to the problem. The readers will have their own perspective and background as they read the case study. Your summary should recount, in simple, condensed form, the investigation that you have conducted and your own opinion. You should ask the reader to draw his or her conclusions as you guide the reader through the information to the solution that was implemented. Reminders and tips to keep in mind when writing: When possible, use and describe “ethical” language. This includes terms and concepts such as: Inequality, injustice, physical harm, suffering, racism, sexism, torture, sexual misconduct, exploitation, etc. However, these terms and concepts must be EXPLAINED and ANALYZED (not just plunked down in your paper). Use a dictionary to be certain you understand the meanings of the words you are using.